2K Games Announces October Release For Civilization: Beyond Earth Along With In-Game Footage

Since Firaxis took the veil off of Civilization: Beyond Earth in April, we've had a relative dearth of information to run on, and especially a lack of media to soak in (three official screenshots!). Well, both problems have now been remedied, and as an added bonus, the company has finally given us a release date: October 24, 2014.

While Firaxis hasn't provided us any new screenshots, it's done one better: It's posted a video that gives us a better peak at what's coming, and what to expect. If you've played previous Civilization titles, and especially Civilization V, it looks like you're going to feel right at home here. Even the graphics look more like a mod than anything else - which really isn't a bad thing.

As you watch the video, you'll begin to see many similarities to Civilization V - ruins become resource pods, spies become covert agents, technologies become tech web, ideologies become affinities, and so forth.

Of most interest to me in Beyond Earth is that there's a new quest mechanic. As far as I can tell, quests are not required, but are certainly worth pursuing for some gain, whether it be money or something else. Admittedly, a quest mechanic is a bit strange for a series like Civilization, which really hinges on players making their own story, but this will definitely add a bit of depth to the gameplay.

I admit that even as someone who's not huge into sci-fi, Beyond Earth really tempts me, and I can't wait for it to get here. The fact that it's so similar overall in design to Civilization V will definitely make the transition easier for players, although it looks like Beyond Earth will have its fair share of mechanic twists. Overall, it appears to be coming along very well.